BTEC Level 3 Applied Science

The new BTEC Nationals in Applied Science combine up-to-date industry knowledge with the right balance of the practical, research and behavioural skills you need to succeed in higher education and in their careers.

Course Outline

TOTAL: 4 UNITS

3 MANDATORY UNITS

1. Principles and Applications of Science I (90 GLH) Written exam – Set and marked by Pearson

The new BTEC Nationals in Applied Science use a combination of assessment styles to give you confidence. You can apply your knowledge to succeed in the workplace – and have the study skills to continue learning on higher education courses and throughout their career. The range of vocational assessments – both practical and written – mean you can showcase your learning and achievements to best effect when you take your next step, whether that’s supporting applications to higher education courses or potential employers.

General Information
The courses have been developed carefully by practising teachers and examiners in line with the new GCSE science criteria produced by Ofqual. There is a balance in the content of the courses: there is plenty of coverage of important scientific background and theories. Also, there are opportunities for students to look at how scientific knowledge is used and applied in the modern world, for example to develop better strains of crops, to produce better materials for construction and to use in medicine to make CAT scanners. Science has always addressed many “big issues “and students will also look at key issues that they will face in the coming years, whether global warming, the use of nuclear power, or the development of cloned or genetically modified organisms. The philosophy of the course is to develop young adults who have the scientific background to understand these issues as well as to engage with them.

Year 12
The Edexcel GCSE in Science comprises four units:

Unit B1Biology –Influences on life – Exam in June
This unit is split into three topics:

Classification, variation and inheritance

Responses to a changing environment

Problems of, and solutions to, a changing environment

Unit C1 Chemistry in Our World – Exam in June
This unit is split into five topics:

The Earth’s sea and atmosphere

Materials from the Earth

Acids

Obtaining and using metals

Fuels.

Unit P1 Universal Physics – Exam In June
This unit is split into six topics:

Visible light and the Solar System

The electromagnetic spectrum

Waves and the Universe

Waves and the Earth

Generation and transmission of electricity

Energy and the future.

Controlled Assessment – In class during the year

For this unit students will complete one or more controlled assessment tasks related to Unit B1, C1 or P1 content.

Each task consists of three parts. Part A is a planning activity; Part B is an observation, collecting primary and secondary evidence. Part C consists of conclusions related to the primary and secondary evidence collected in Part B.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities
Our world is constantly changing and evolving. There have been good changes, like the web, which has revolutionised the way information is stored and accessed. But there have also been bad changes. We have been making huge demands on the planet’s resources and the environment, and now need to find new solutions for almost everything humans do, from fuel production to waste disposal.

Studying science will prepare you for a job that will put you in the driving seat; giving you skills and knowledge to improve the world around us, and even the future of the planet.

There are lots of fascinating and crucial roles that science can prepare you for: